Oct 1-23
Hi All,
As mentioned in the last blog, we hauled Mystic at Platypus Marine in Port Angeles on Oct 1. The complete paint job is scheduled for 8 weeks and our target splash date is 11/22. So far, Platypus is on schedule. They have added a second shift which allows almost 16-18 hours of work/day. They do most of the painting at night. In 3 weeks, all the hardware has been removed, the boat completely sanded, repairs made on many thin spots as well as some blisters, and the primer coat has been started.
We finally decided the paint…..Awlgrip Oyster White. We believe the original gelcoat color on Mystic was Oyster White with Moondust for the nonskid which we wanted to keep.
I did a website gallery post with 142 pictures showing the various stages so far:
http://mysticmoonvoyages.com/photo-gallery/nggallery/main-album/Painting-Mystic-Moon-at-Platypus-Marine
However, there have been a few surprises…..which for a boat means $$$$$….arghhhhh:
1. We have never pulled the propeller shaft in our 15 years and we wanted to take it out, have it dye tested for cracks, check alignment and balance with the prop as well as replace the cutlass bearings. We found the 16′, 3″ dia shaft to have many thumb size corrosion pits and was certified as “unusable”….oweee. This caused us to buy a new shaft…..ugh!! The actual cause of the pitting is unknown but “most likely” caused by stagnant water in the shaft tube and possibly some impurities in the SS shaft. Stagnant water over 2 weeks can become oxygen deficient which can then cause the corrosion pitting. Warm, high salinity waters, such as what we had for the last 12 years in the Tropics are more susceptible to this issue. We had thought our hardened SS shaft was not susceptible to this type of corrosion but obviously we were wrong….ugh, ugh, ugh!!
Attached is a good article if you are interested. Our good friend Les sent this to us:
http://highseasyachtservice.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Marine-Shaft-Crevice-Corrosion1.pdf
While it obviously was a surprise, we are very glad we caught the issue before something traumatic happened. The other good news is that the cutlass bearings were at the end of their life but still performing as expected.
2. The bottom paint was toast….ugh!!! We applied Micron 66 in Thailand and Philippines only to discover it is not compatible with fresh waters. Whaaaaaat….didn’t know that. But, we haven’t been in fresh water we say….well, were you next to the glaciers in Alaska asks the Interlux rep….yep…well, there you go. So, what do we do….well, you have to sand down to the barrier coat and start over…..ODG….that one hurt:(((((
3. Blisters/thin gelcoat: Mystic had some of the cosmetic blisters, common on some of the earlier built Selenes, mainly around the various fairing locations. Most of these blisters had already broken and were easily sanded out. However, we did find more that were not obvious. The sanders found places where water was present. Again, these area were easily sanded back and repaired with Awlgrip fairing material. Only one location needed epoxy repair. Platypus was also surprised by the findings, but also commented that after 15 years, 12 of those years in the Tropics, overall Mystic’s gelcoat was in pretty good condition…..they haven’t seen much better, but certainly seen much worse.
Other work being done:
1. We are replacing our depth transducers on the old Simrad small instruments as well as the Interphase transducer.
2. We had 2 port holes leaking outside leaving ugly brown corrosion streaks going down the bow of the boat….one in the forward stateroom and one in the guest head. Well, Platypus discovered 2 more port holes leaking….two more round ones in the forward stateroom, making it a total of 4 port holes that needed to be pried out and reinstalled. Most were leaking from incomplete bedding materials from the factory.
3. We had both anchors re-galvanized.
4. Both rubrails were taken off and only 3 sections needed replacing. We never could repair the bent one damaged in Japan.
5. Caprail: we are having the caprail taken down to bare teak, stained and then built back up with many coats of Awlgrip Awlwood Gloss. We had several worn and damaged spots which we were happy were able to be sanded out.
The Plan: I will be going back to PA next week, on Mon-Tues. Then most likely back for the final two weeks starting on 11/12. Kathy will join me for the last week on 11/18. If all goes as planned we will splash on 11/22 and then that next Monday or Tuesday, 11/25 or 26th we will take Mystic to Emerald Landing in Lake Union. There we will continue the TLC program with engine work, some electronic upgrades, canvas work and a few other servicing jobs!!
Hope all is well!!
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!
John
Mystic Moon
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